Eyelet.



m1. REES. EYELET APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1908.

911,762. I Patented-Feb. 9,1909.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR ATTORNEY FRED REEli, OF ELMIRA, NEW YQRK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Feb. 9, 1909.

Application'filed March 23, 190a Serial No. 422,592.

To all whom it may concern: V

Be it known that I, FRED H. Rnns, citizen of the United'States, residing at Elmira, in the county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Eyelets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in eyelets for lacing shoes, leggings, gloves, and other articles of wearing apparel; and my ob- "ect is to provide the eyelets with a yielding earing surface to receive the lacing, whereby an elastic laced closure can be produced and maintained, to avoid uncomfortably and injuriously binding the ankle, wrist or other part of the person upon which the laced article 1s worn.

I attainmy object by constructing the eyelets in' the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows an eyelet partly in section, embodying my improvement; Fig. 2, a transverse section through the eyelet; Fig, 3, a plan view of the spring member which forms the elastic bearing surface in Figs. 1

and 2; Fig. 4, a modified form of the spring member shown in Fig. 1; and Fi s. 5 and 6, views showing a still further mo ification in the spring member, and the manner of securin it within the eyelet.

ike numerals designate like parts in the several views.

In the several views, 1 designates the outer flange of the eyelet, and 2 the tubular shank between the outer and'inner flanges.

, In Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive,- 3 re resents the spring member, which consists o aflat piece of spring metal broadened out between the ends, and rounded over to form a non-abras'ive bearing surface for the lacing, when run through the e elet. This plate is sprung into the curved s ape shown in Fig. 1, and its ends are inserted in the recesses 4 pressed outwardly from the side walls of the shank of the eyelet. provided at its central portion with a tongue 5, pressed outwardly from the plate, said tongue entering a recess 6, pressed outwardly from the shank to receive it. By reason of the engagement of theton e 5 with the recess 6, the spring member -1S prevented from swingin to one side or the other in the eyelet, as t e lacing is drawn through from one side or the other. When strain is placed upon the lacing the spring member 3 will bend, still further toward the recess 6, the

The spring member 3 is further tongue. 5 sliding thereinto, andthe ends of the sprin member riding along the inclined walls of. e recesses 4. When strain is released the member 3 will spring back into its normal position. In spring, on account of t e size of the eyelet,

w1ll have a' comparatively small movement in each eyelet, there will be provided a suflicient amount of motion between each pair of opposite eyelets, to permit of the requisite amount of expansion and contraction between the edges of thelaced seam, or joint. It will, therefore, be obvious that an article, b means of these spring containing eyelets, wi 1 be held upon the person in a manner to easily yield to variations in size and change of form caused by muscular movements, heat and cold, and variable blood circulation.

The spring member may be formed in various ways, and applied to the eyelet in any suitable manner, without departing from the spirit of my invention. In Fig. 4, I have shown the spring member 7 bent into the shape, as therein shown, from spring Wire, the central portion being flattened and rounded over to form the bearing surface for the lacing. The ends are bent around toward the central portion at 8, and then outwardly at 9, to enter the guiding recess 10, formed on the shank of the eyelet. The return bends are supported in recesses 11, formed in the shank of the eyelet, and the action of the spring member will be readily understood from an mspection of the figure. In Figs. 5 and 6, sgring member 12 lsagain formed from spring wire, flattened out and bent over at its central portion for ractice, while this 4 the bearing surface; and having its end portions 13 bent around to fit into a groove 14, pressed outwardly from the shank 2 around the inner periphery thereof. The end portions 13 have their extremities passed through a hole in the shank and bent over at 15 to lock them in position withinthe shank. The-groove 14 is pressed, outward at the points 16 for a short distance tangentially, so that the spring member may be free to move outwardly under strain upon the lacing. During said outward motion of the sprin member the end portions 13 will be straig tened out toward one another and when the strain is relieved they will spring back into lace within the groove 14.

Without, there ore, confining myself to any particular form or arrangement of the spring member'in the eyelet, what I claim as my invention and desire to secure by 1 extending across the opening through its Letters Patent is Q l 1. An eyelet provided with an elastic bearing surface to receive a lacing.

5 2. An eyelet containing an elastic bearing surface to receive a lacing Within the opening through its shank. V I

3. An eyelet containing a spring actuated member within the opening through its 10 shank to form an elastic bearing surface for 1 a lacing.

4. An eyelet having a spring member shank and maintained in operative position by means of recesses formed in the shank 15 whereby an elastic bearing is provided for a lacing.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, presenceof two witnesses.

FRED H. REES.

Witnesses MABEL E. BARNES, M. E. VERBECK. 

